Vacant since 1994, the massive Kingsbridge Armory, one of the largest armories in the world, is on the verge of being transformed into a retail shopping mall. The Norwood News explores the Armory proposal from several angles. Click on the link to take a look at our extensive coverage.

Vacant since 1994, the massive Kingsbridge Armory, one of the largest armories in the world, is on the verge of being transformed into a retail shopping mall. The Norwood News explores the Armory proposal from several angles. Click on the link to take a look at our extensive coverage.

Two years ago, Juan Torres, 50, enjoyed his job as a machine operator at the Stella D'oro cookie factory in Kingsbridge. He could provide his children with simple purchases like new clothes for school and tickets to Great Adventure, and his family with trips to the Dominican Republic, where he was born.

But this year, for the first time, Torres had to tell his children that none of that would be possible.

Two years ago, Juan Torres, 50, enjoyed his job as a machine operator at the Stella D'oro cookie factory in Kingsbridge. He could provide his children with simple purchases like new clothes for school and tickets to Great Adventure, and his family with trips to the Dominican Republic, where he was born.

But this year, for the first time, Torres had to tell his children that none of that would be possible.

Berta, a 54-year-old Mexican single mother, has sold coquitos y paletas (ices and fruit popsicles) from a cart on the corner of Fordham Road for the past 10 years. This year, Berta secured a vending permit with help from VAMOS Unidos, a street vendor advocacy group.

VAMOS Unidos' main goal is to increase the available vending permits, which the city has updated by only 1,000 in nearly 30 years. There are an estimated 5,000 to 15,000 street vendors in the city who operate without a permit.

Bronx youth rallied outside Yankee Stadium hours before the All-Star Game on July 15, calling for more and better jobs, and emphasizing the stark contrast between the largely publicly-funded new Yankee Stadium and the daily lives of many poor Bronxites.

Immigration remains among the most complicated and contentious issues our nation faces. Congress failed to act in a comprehensive manner last year, leaving the problem to worsen for everyone involved. It will not be solved by fences or walls and it won't get fixed from the mean spirited rantings of Mitt Romney or Lou Dobbs. We'll make progress when we look at what causes people to risk their lives and often leave their families in order to find work in the United States, and what their prospects are when they arrive.

Oppressive governments drive thousands to seek asylum here, but many of our underlying immigration issues are economic. Congress needs to look at a variety of failed economic policies, especially as they affect our own country and our nearest neighbors in Latin America. Free trade has too often shifted well paying jobs in the States to become poor paying jobs in other countries. As long as our own economic policies contribute to leaving millions destitute nearby, we have to expect some of those millions to seek jobs here.

The city's Economic Development Corporation will not choose a developer for the vacant Kingsbridge Armory until at least October, said Community Board 7 Chair Greg Faulkner.